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Chefs in the making at Pottstown H.S. tackle chopped' challenge

Pottstown High School students participate in Grumpy’s Chopped Challenge to create a sandwich that will be added to the Grumpy’s menu. Shown here are Hannah Irvin and Alyssa Wanish, left and right, and Sheila and Eugene Dugan of Grumpy’s, center.

POTTSTOWN — A popular TV show became reality for Pottstown High School’s culinary arts students Monday when they participated in “Grumpy’s Chopped Challenge.”

Eugene “Grumpy” Dugan, owner of Grumpy’s restaurant, cooked up the idea when a student helped out at his restaurant during the summer. He and his wife Sheila have three high school students, and they thought it would be a good way to build up their confidence and a nice addition to their resume when they go off to college or the work force.

The concept, similar to the Food Network’s popular competition show, involved mystery ingredients provided by “Grumpy,” that the students had to use in a sandwich recipe that they created in just one hour. Four judges tasted the sandwiches and rated them on creative use of the special ingredients, presentation and taste. The sandwiches were only labeled with a letter so the identity of the cooks was unknown.

The 13 students involved were divided into teams, resulting in seven different sandwiches for the judges to sample. Judges for the competition were Mark Weitzenkorn, Pottstown business owner, Jeff Sparagana, Pottstown schools superintendent, Cheryl Thornburg, features editor for The Mercury and Judyth Zahora, president of the Pottstown School Board.

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The competition was fierce, for there were some big prizes at stake, resulting in delicious sandwiches worthy of a place on Grumpy’s menu – which was just one of the prizes. The winners get to divide the $100 cash prize and a large basket full of premium cooking tools and cookbooks.

The students had to use their cooking skills and creativity to come up with a sandwich using boneless chicken, an orange, chopped walnuts – and marshmallows. It was amazing how many ways the students combined the ingredients – no two were alike.

The judges had their work cut out for them, but eventually came up with a winner – Sandwich G – which they later discovered was created by the team of Alyssa Wanish and Hannah Irvin. They used thinly sliced roast chicken with a touch of rosemary, with some of the other “secret” ingredients blended into a mayonnaise. It was topped off with caramelized shallots. It was a hit with all the judges, myself included.

But all the students turned out some winning recipes. Other students competing were: Robbie McCoy, Derek Piechota Adrianna Douglas, April Price, Matt Taylor, Kim Swanson, Jihad Ali, Ryan Krause, Darien Hain, Darrin Cooper and Jaine Cabellero. All of the students received Grupy’s Chopped Challenge T-shirts.

The winning girls joined their last names together and dubbed their sandwich The Irvanish Special. It will be featured on the Grumpy’s menu soon.

The students are part of the school’s culinary arts program under the guidance of Mary Jo Kuhwald.

About the Author

Cheryl Thornburg has been in the news business for more than 30 years, covering just about everything but sports. She is the arts and features editor for the Mercury with a particular interest in live theater. Cheryl grew up in Reading, Pa., has lived in Massachusetts and New Mexico, and is glad to be back home in Pennsylvania after being away for 35 years. Reach the author at cthornburg@pottsmerc.com
or follow Cheryl on Twitter: @mercartscheryl.